You can do many things to help you avoid car accidents, but, at times, accidents happen. It may be other road users’ fault or no one else’s, but it happens. There are things you need to do when and after you’re involved in a car accident. These are the kind of things that can ensure you come out of it unscathed – health-wise or even legally. After all the confusion is done, you need to now focus on what’s next. Here are some of the important things you need to do after a car accident.

Check for Injuries

The first thing you need to do when you’re involved in an accident is to ensure that you check for injuries. You’ll need to limit yourself first, then if you have others in the car, ask them if they are okay. For kids, you’ll need to check them physically. You also need to check the other car if there have been any injuries. If there are other road users around, you also need to check on them too. When you see anyone hurt, you need to call 911 immediately. If you are the one who’s injured, you can call 911 or have someone else do it for you.

Stay Where you Are

You also need to stay where you are, and if you’re in the middle of the road, you need to pull over to a safe place. You should only, however, only move your car if it’s causing a lot of traffic. Otherwise, you need to stay put until the police arrive. Even when you move the car, could you not move it too far from the road? Just drag it to the shoulder of the road or maybe to the sidewalk. You need to ensure that you have captured the scene before you move the car, though.

File A Report

You then need to file a report with the police to come over and determine the scene of the accident. It would help if you did not leave the scene without filing a police report – unless you’re seriously injured. Insist they come and record your statement – and not yours alone. When the police come, they need to take everyone’s statement and only leave when the report is filed. When the police aren’t involved, it will be easy for others to change their story, and you don’t want that. After the police are done with the report, you now need to ensure you get the report number. You also need to get the officer’s name and badge number.

Protect Your Rights

Now, you need to protect your rights by ensuring your lawyer is involved in the case. If you don’t know any, you can call a car accident lawyer in Brockton to help you. A lawyer has handled such cases before, and they are sure to know how to go about it. One of the main reasons you may need a lawyer is dealing with an insurance company. Usually, they don’t handle their negotiations; they let their lawyers do that. And it would help if you had someone with the legal expertise to help you with it. Some insurance companies may want you to sign some documents, but you shouldn’t, not least when you don’t have a lawyer present. Lawyers have great teams around them and can conduct their investigations. A lawyer will only do what’s good for you as the insurance companies will do the same. A good car accident lawyer in Brockton will bring you peace even if you’re injured and in the hospital. They will check-in for every negotiation and ensure your rights are upheld.

Take Pictures

It would help if you got as many pictures from the scene as you can. This ensures that no one will be able to change the story if the case goes to trial. You’ll have enough evidence to prove your case in court when you have picture evidence. You need to take pictures of your car and the other person’s car and ensure you get their insurance on the image. If you’re not in the position to take photos yourself, have someone else do it for you. And take the pictures from different angles, too – ensuring every aspect is captured. There are some things that you need to do when you are involved in a car accident. These things can ensure your safety, and they can also provide you with legal protection. Above are some of the crucial things you need to do after being involved in a car accident.